Balancing different nutritional needs

08/11/2017
Blog Nutrition
SPILLERS®

With so many products on the market, we understand that choosing the right feed for your horse can feel like a minefield. That’s why we’ve designed a ‘needs based’ range of balancers to help you choose the one most suited to your horse’s individual requirements. Here we share some useful tips on how to choose a balancer, as well as quick guide to the SPIILLERS range.

Tips for choosing a balancer

Start by considering your horse’s base diet and workload. Horses and ponies on restricted grazing and/or hay will receive less nutrients compared to those on ad lib forage. On the other hand, performance horses already fed the recommended ration of compound will not require nutrients to balance their diet but may benefit from added digestive or immune support.

Consider which if any functional ingredients might be of most benefit to your horse. Are you looking for added joint or digestive support or would you prefer to feed something that simply balances the diet without the added bell and whistles?

Consider choosing a balancer that does not contain added iron. Iron is often oversupplied in forage based diets, even for horses on restricted rations. However in the case of stud balancers, some added iron may be of benefit as forage intake in foals is limited.

If your horse is on a diet, it’s important to ensure that restricting his calorie intake doesn’t lead to a nutrient deficiency. Lysine and vitamin E are two key considerations as intake may be significantly reduced in horses and ponies on restricted grazing and lower nutritional value and/ or soaked hay.

High level of lysine (30g/ kg) to support muscle health and topline

High level of vitamin E – although fresh grazing may contain sufficient levels of vitamin E to meet maintenance requirements, levels in hay and haylage may be negligible!

Added cinnamon, FOS and magnesium to help support a healthy metabolism

15mg of biotin per 500g serving proven to support hoof health

No added iron

SPILLERS Original Multi Balancer

Provides the nutrients needed to balance a forage based diet plus added immune and digestive support. Suitable for all horses and ponies from those at rest to through those in hard work.

Race and competition horses are typically fed larger amounts of compound feed and therefore need little or no additional nutrients to simply balance their diet. Pro-Performance Balancer is therefore designed to be fed in addition to compound feed to provide more the nutrients that may be of benefit, without the risk of feeding others at undesirably high levels.

Probiotic live yeast plus prebiotic MOS and FOS to support digestive health

High level of vitamin E to support muscle health and immunity

Added vitamin C for immune support

No added iron, vitamin A or vitamin D which are typically oversupplied in performance diets

Reduced levels of copper, zinc, selenium and iodine

Also ideal for balancing the diet of hard working horses that maintain weight easily on low energy feeds – low energy feeds are typically designed for horses in light work